


The people far below are sleeping as we fly

by Kotomori



Series: With thunder and blood, with hammer and sword [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Holidays, Hurt Thor (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Memories, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Panic Attacks, Recovery, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kotomori/pseuds/Kotomori
Summary: Set between 'Whatever it takes' and 'For I am mighty'Loki begrudgingly agrees to follow Midgards traditions around the holidays for one reason only, to make his brother happy. During this time he thinks back on how far Thor has come in those few short months since the battle for the infinity stones and the demise of the mad titan.
Relationships: Brunnhilde | Valkyrie & Thor (Marvel), Loki & Thor
Series: With thunder and blood, with hammer and sword [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1386475
Comments: 1
Kudos: 36





	The people far below are sleeping as we fly

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! Happy Christmas! 
> 
> So since I wont be posting again for the rest of the year, I came up with this little idea for my first Christmas fic and I realised I could fit it between my two biggest stories. For I am mighty takes place a year after whatever it takes and this little story takes place in the middle of the two. 
> 
> I mentioned in the opening chapter of For I am mighty that Thor was given a wake up call regarding health but I didn't really explain how. Hopefully this clears that up :) 
> 
> If you haven't read the other two stories in this series then please give them a look <3 to those who have read the story and ade currently dealing this one, thank you very much for the kudos and comments in this series I really appreciate it :)

Loki rolled his eyes for the third time in the past five minutes as he watched his brother try to hold his balance after once again almost falling off the chair he'd pulled from the kitchen. He brought it through to stand on as he tried to reach the top of the oversized spider infested fire hazard that Thor had yesterday insisted on chopping down in the woods and dragging back to their house. Said fire hazard was now standing in the corner of their living room. 

Out of all Midgardian traditions, Loki found this one to be the most unorthodox, and certainly the most unappealing. Why would anyone feel comfortable, much less happy having a tree in the living room? Granted, it was a great deal smaller than the one that the citizens of New Asgard had placed in the town centre a few days prior. 

Asgard was no stranger to the traditions that transpired when it came to the holiday season. The parties, the feasts, the music. Some of the best memories of Loki's childhood were during the winter season. He remembered certain moments during the feasts as a boy where he and his older brother would hide under the table after smuggling someone's wine, giggling as they took turns drinking it like they'd played the trick of the millenia. He especially loved it when it snowed. It became their tradition as well as their mother's to watch the first snow of winter.

They certainly never had trees in houses and legends of a fat man in a red suit handing out presents to children or any of that Midgard nonsense on Asgard. 

He was brought back from his reverie when he heard Thor let out a laugh of triumph as he finally reached far enough to place the star shaped ornament at the top of the large tree.

Thor jumped down from his chair landing with a much quieter thud than Loki was expecting. The trickster still struggled to get used to his brother's slimmer frame. Despite the fact that due to his new routine Thor had been building up the muscle back on his bones, he still had a long way to go before he would be how he was. Not that Loki minded. Thor could look like Volstagg and it wouldn't make a difference. Now that he was thinner, he almost had a similar figure to that of his own. 

But much to his relief, Thor looked much healthier then he had since their reunion. Though physicality was the least of his worries when it came to Thor. 

Said brother turned to Loki with a triumphant grin, "What did I tell you? It looks quite magnificent, does it not?" Loki looked the tree up and down before snorting in amusement, "Whatever you say, brother. I still think it looks like a recipe for disaster." 

Thor rolled his eyes though his smile didn't waver, "Oh do lighten up, brother. Midgard Christmas traditions state a tree is required. Plus it's not like you can complain considering I did all the work to get it in here and decorated it while you sat there watching TV." 

Loki lifted the remote to pause the movie he was half watching, half ignoring to observe his brother making a fool of himself. "I was rather enjoying it actually. I found the Grinch to be a rather remarkable relatable character."

Thor cocked an eyebrow at Loki, "You did?" 

Loki hummed while pretending to be deep in thought. "Yes. I was rooting for him right up until the point where his heart grew three sizes and he saved Christmas." He finished with a smirk.

Thor rolled his eyes chuckling fondly at his brother before picking up the chair he had been standing on and heading back into the kitchen, "Well if it makes you feel any better, there's only have a few days to go and then we can take it down again. "

Loki turned off the TV and followed Thor into the kitchen where he was now trying to figure out how to turn the heating on. 

"I don't see the need for all this fuss to decorate the house for one day of the year anyway. We're the only ones who live here and we never had anything like this growing up." 

Thor turned around and gave Loki a strange look before turning again towards the counter and switching the kettle on and opened the cupboard to reach for the tea box. 

"Well, we may not have had any of this on Asgard, but the fact is we're not in Asgard anymore," He pointed the box in Loki's direction as a silent offer which the trickster accepted with a nod before leaning on the counter. 

"Now that we live on Earth, I thought it would be a good idea to follow some of their customs now that we are citizens of this planet. I thought it may give the Asgardians a sense of belonging if we were to act more like the people of Earth. Also, now that we have Bruce, he has taught the people alot about this. He has been a great help." Thor continued, looking down as he stirred their tea before passing Loki's to him. 

Loki hummed his agreement as he sipped from his cup. He knew when to give credit where it was due. The hulk of a man had been a brilliant source of help in the few months he had been living on New Asgard with them. In more ways than one, it would seem. 

It had only been a few months, not even half a year since the demise of the mad titan. Since that final battle where Loki had only just managed come back from death after a long journey up the branches of Yggdrasil. Since he arrived in New Asgard, expecting his brother to be waiting for him. Since he heard from Brunhilde of Thor's death only a day before he had returned. Since he thought he had lost his brother for good and he had climbed the world's tree to return to life all for nothing. 

Since his brother had stormed into the battle of the stones, alive and powerful like a true force of nature. 

It was only days after the battle was over that Loki saw the severity of his brother's anxiety attacks and nightmares and melancholy spells at their full power for the first time. And as much as Loki hated to admit any form of weakness, actually seeing Thor like that terrified the trickster.

As much as Loki hated not knowing, he tried not to pry into Thor's damaged mind. Most of the time he didn't need to. If Thor had a nightmare and Loki asked about it, Thor would usually tell him what it was about and the reason. There were sometimes however where no matter how much Loki assured him that he could talk to him about what was causing such a reaction, Thor would not say a word. 

He had tried asking about the last five years to the Valkyrie, who was with Thor pretty much every minute of every day and had seen Thor at his absolute worst before. She told him little pieces here and there which helped to put a few more things into perspective. But alot of the big questions were still left unanswered and Brunhilde had told him several times that in order to get a better understanding, he would have to ask Thor himself. 

And since for the first month or so, Thor had tried to block out the nightmares and anxiety and constant questions from the council and citizens of New Asgard by drinking himself into a stupor, it was more than a little difficult to gain any form of straightforward answer from his brother. 

As much as Thor's drinking habit spiked Loki's frustration and concern over his health, he knew that Thor was not to be blamed. 

Still, everyone had their breaking points. Loki's came around the end of the second month. 

Thor had been having a tough week leading up to that point. The council had been relentless in their questions and demands for the king of Asgard up to the point where Loki and Brunhilde had to remove him from the meeting before he collapsed into an all out panic attack in front of everyone. No matter how many times he or Brunhilde or Bruce had assured him that it was nothing to he ashamed of, Thor had made it clear on several occasions that under no circumstance can the people see him like that.

In the days that followed, Thor didn't leave his bed. Food would be brought to his door but it came away untouched. Given the noticeable weight loss, it wasn't hard for Loki to guess that this was a common occurrence when Thor went through one of his melancholy days to either refuse food or forget it was there. 

The day after that, Loki and Brunhilde had left Thor in his bed, once again with food on the bedside table and water if he needed it. Loki left a note by the glass telling Thor where they were in case he forgot. It was still something Loki did to this day, though he didn't need to do it everytime he left the house anymore. 

They were gone for a few hours that day. The meeting adjourned quicker than Loki expected and he was in no rush to stay in the town hall knowing Thor was at home. 

He knew something was wrong as soon as he stepped into the torrential storm outside the town hall.

The way he found Thor the moment they came home is still a memory that Loki can't seem to shake from his mind and probably never will. 

As soon as Loki unlocked the front door to their house, he was instantly hit in the face by the powerful stench of alcohol. The Valkyrie noticed it too, for she practically shoved past him and all but ran into the living room. 

Loki caught up with her in seconds as he stood in the doorway to the living room. The moment he clapped his eyes on his brother, his vision suddenly became blurry. Thor was on the floor. He was on his back. Flecks of broken glass sparkled through the clouds of his eyesight. There was red on the floor. There was red coming from his brother's head. His brother's body was shaking. Trembling uncontrollably, showing no signs of stilling. 

He heard Brunhilde's voice yelling. Whether it was to him or to Thor, the trickster didn't know. The only events that he remembered after that were the healers arriving with Eir leading the charge before Bruce walked in after them. The hulk carefully scooped Thor up into his arms before taking him away without a word and the healers leaving after him. 

That was the moment that Loki snapped out of his trance. They were taking him away. They were taking his brother away from him without paying any mind to him.

How dare they.

Before Loki could march forward and demand to know what was going on, Brunhilde was pulling at his sleeve giving him no choice but to follow. He was pulled along with her as she climbed into the back on an ambulance and pulled Loki down into the seat next to her. Thor lay on a stretcher in front of them both and Loki wasted no time in grabbing hold of Thor's hand. 

Everything was happening too fast, Loki felt like his chest was on fire. In that moment, all he could do was stare down at his brother's sleeping face and say the words, "I'm here."

Thor was in the hospital for a day before he regained consciousness. It was two days before he insisted he was ready to be released. A white patch had been placed on the left side of his forehead that was soaked in a remedy to speed up the healing process. 

Loki had been the first to point out that it was for the best that Thor stay and rest a few days more before returning home. He was left both stunned and appalled when Eir let him go without even questioning it. He stormed after her as she went to prepare the release papers and while he raved at her, his sharp tongue and poisonous words had no effect on the aged healer. 

The fury he felt towards her melted away into horror and anguish when he came to a realisation from the look she was giving him. Her eyes weren't passive or disinterested or cold. They were the eyes of a tired old woman, who no matter how much she wanted the man she'd known since he was born to take care of himself, also knew that the attempt would be futile. That could only mean one thing.

"How many times has he been like this that you've seen?" He had asked her.

She sighed into her hands like she was about to break down in tears. "Truthfully, Prince Loki, I've seen him in and out of this hospital so many times in the last five years, I don't even bother counting anymore. No one makes that boy do anything he doesn't want to do. If he doesn't want to stay, he leaves. That's all there is to it."

It wasn't long after that when the council began to question Thor's authority. Some said he wasn't in the right mind to rule with the populations suddenly doubling in size after the battle and the number of responsibilities that came with that. Some merely wanted to know if he was alright. There were a few however, who claimed Thor couldn't care very much for the people's wellbeing if he was so willing to throw away his own life and leave them on their own. To hear his brother being spoken about in such a way made Loki angry enough to contemplate making those few magically disappear, to put it lightly. 

To be caught in such a thing gave Loki the instinct to run. To leave again like he had done several times before. It wasn't like he hadn't already built up a reputation for being selfish and cruel. But reputation be damned, Loki knew that wasn't the case anymore. Since returning and choosing to stay on New Asgard with his brother, he made that decision knowing what he was promising not only to Thor but himself. He could finally live out a domestic life peacefully, side by side with his brother. The way it should've been.

Thor's mental state had caused him to panic. But could he really leave Thor again? After seeing what leaving him alone had done to him? He now understood the depth of Thor's grief. And more importantly, how much he was hurting. To see someone who he thought invincible as a boy be brought down to such a broken state, would Thor survive being left alone again?

Loki didn't want to know the answer. He wasn't going anywhere, neither was his brother. That was one thing Thanos wouldn't have from Loki.

That was when Loki had forced Thor into a long conversation regarding his health. Well, it was more along the lines of Loki talking while his brother sat and listened to every word as the trickster let everything out into the open. 

Thor made several promises to Loki that day. The first of many, he would try to stop drinking. Brunhilde was so elated when she heard that it gave her the motivation to do the same. 

As Loki expected, actually getting Thor completely sober was a long and painful process for the three of them. Cutting it out gradually had been the first suggestion and it wasn't working. To be honest, Loki didn't think it would as much as he hoped it might. 

So Thor stopped completely.

As awful as it was to be there through the crying, the vomiting, the anger and the nightmares, the aftermath was like saying hello to an old friend. 

It was decided not long afterwards that Thor needed time for his mind to rest without being under the influence. He held another meeting, this one being the shortest of them all, where he explained to the council in as little detail as possible the reasons why he was taking a step down for a while. He wasn't leaving, he would still be there for the people when they needed him. His decision of course raised a number of problems within the council, but Thor found that he simply didn't care for their opinion on the matter. He wasn't alone, he had people he lived who were more than willing to help. And that brought out a pride in Loki that he only felt for his brother. It was time Thor did something for himself. 

And Thor was still sick. He still had alot of healing to go through before his mind could recover. But the moment where the coldness in Thor's eyes began to shine once again was the first time Loki let himself hold onto hope. 

Looking back at Thor now as he leaned over the sink with his cup in his hands while absentmindedly listening to the festive music on the radio, Loki suddenly found himself astounded at how far Thor had come in those few months. He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. He kept up a strong workout routine with Brunhilde. He interacted with the people as often as he could. He still had bad days, but since the holiday season came around, it was actually becoming more and more difficult to get Thor to stop smiling. 

Even now his eyes were filled with warmth and his smile beamed as Brunhilde came down the stairs with several more boxes that Loki had no doubt were filled with more ridiculous brightly coloured decorations that would be placed on every corner of the house. Though with his gaze still fixed on his brother, Loki couldn't find it within himself to be annoyed. 

"Where do you want these, your majesty?" The Valkyrie called, though while she was holding the many boxes with little to no effort at all, Loki couldn't help but be amused at the fact that there was so many that her face couldn't be seen as they towered over her. 

Even Thor let out a laugh at the sight, "You can just place them near the tree for now. Bruce called by the way, he wanted to help us decorate so I invited him over." 

"Got it." She replied. Loki huffed in annoyance when instead of doing what Thor asked, she threw the boxes into the living room before joining them in the kitchen. 

She caught one look at Loki's face before turning to Thor.

"What's up with Scrooge?" 

Loki balked and looked between the two of them as they began laughing. 

"I'm sorry, what did you just call me?" 

Loki scowled when all they did was laugh harder at his confusion. 

...........

Loki's eyes opened when he heard footsteps sneaking past his room. Ever the light sleeper he was, Loki was immediately awake and alert. The footsteps were heading down the stairs. After a moment of listening, Loki figured it was probably his brother going to get a glass of water and he began to relax again. 

However, just as he was about to settle down and go back to sleep, he heard the sound of a key in the front door. Loki took a glance at the clock at the far end of his room. 12:07 am.

What in seven hells was his oaf of a brother doing? 

Loki sprung out of bed, quickly fumbling to find his clothes as he heard the wind rushing through the door as it opened and then closed once again.

As he left his room, he took a peek into Thor's room to see Brunhilde still sleeping soundly. Carefully pulling the door shut again, Loki made his way down the stairs and snatched his coat from the peg and left before putting it on in a rush to catch up to his brother. 

The snow came down in sheets, covering the town, painting it white. The amber streetlights highlighted the snowfall among the dark wash of the navy sky. It was as if the town had stopped. No cars were on the road, no noise was to be heard, no people were to be seen. 

Except for the God of thunder as he was reaching the bottom of the now white hill that they lived on. 

Loki had been about to call out to his brother. But then a thought intrigued him. Where could Thor be going around this time of night in the freezing cold winter weather? If Loki made his presence known, then he may never know. He was curious to know where Thor was going if it meant he had to wait until this time to do it. 

So he followed. 

The trickster made sure to keep a safe distance behind Thor and watched his footing so that he didn't step on anything liable to make a noise. 

The further they walked, the more Loki's curiosity grew. 

It was at the edge of town where they stopped and for a moment, it just looked like Thor had lead them to a park. Loki could see the trees and the fields just up ahead. 

As Thor came to the large silver gates at the front, he took hold of the lock keeping them shut and knelt down slightly to whisper something into it. After a moment, Loki heard a clicking sound and the gates creaked open. 

Loki was stunned speechless at the fact he had never seen this place before, and that the place was guarded by magic that had been placed upon it by his brother. It was rare that Thor used the magic he inherited in a way that wasn't to channel his lightning. Though it peaked Loki's curiosity that much more. 

As Thor walked past the gates, Loki waited for a moment to see if hey would shut as soon as he entered. When they didn't move, Loki took it as an opportunity to continue following.

It wasn't a park that Thor had lead them to. Behind the gates, there was a garden. The snow of course had covered the entity of it, but the way it was lit up and the way it was set out. It was so picturesque, beautiful and oh so much like their mother's.

In the time he had taken to admire the garden, as he looked forward he did a double take when he saw Thor was no longer ahead of him.

Loki continued to follow Thor's trail, walking over the footprints he made in the snow. There were several twists and turns through the gardens before Loki reached another gate. Though this one was much smaller and only a latch needed to be lifted to get through.

As he continued on the trail to find his brother, Loki almost jumped out of his skin when he suddenly came face to face with...a statue?

Calming down instantly at the fact he wasnt being attacked, Loki stepped back to get a better look at what he almost ran into.

The statue stood tall and proud, a man's face on a broad body with detailed short dreadlocks down to the shoulders. The statue of the man wore Asgardian armour. Clasped between his two hands was the most recognisable sword in Asgard. The Bifrost Sword. 

As he continued to look down, Loki caught sight of the wooden plaque that rested by the statue's feet. 

_In memory of Heimdall the Allseer. Gatekeeper, a trusted and most loyal friend, a hero of Asgard. May he rest in peace._

A memorial. The words were Thor's, they couldn't have been anyone else's. Loki bowed his head to the statue before following the trail once more. 

He was right, it was a memorial garden. Heimdall wasn't the only statue Loki came across. He found Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun. He found Tony Stark. Thor must've had this one made when Loki wasn't at home. 

It was only after he turned away from the statue that he finally caught sight of Thor.

As he came closer from the back, Loki could see the white drops where the snow had speckled his brother's black cloak as well as the long blonde hair spilling down his back. 

Thor was standing in front of another one of the sculptures. Although, Loki quickly realised that this one wasn't like the others. The statue represented a woman's face. Where the others had been made from stone, this one looked like it was made from pure silver. 

Loki's breath hitched when he recognised the woman's face. Even if it wasn't real, Loki knew her face anywhere. 

Loki watched as Thor kneeled in front of the statue with his head bent low and he took that time to step forward. 

Then Thor's head rose back up, "Do you think she would be proud of what we have become?" 

Loki froze in shock. Then he was genuinely unsure on whether to be impressed or annoyed. Had Thor known he was being followed the entire time? 

Even so, the trickster came closer until he was by Thor's side and his eyes wandered down to see Thor staring at the words written beneath the statue.

_In loving memory of Frigga. Loving mother, beloved Queen of Asgard. May she sit among the Angels._

Loki read the words over again before kneeling down to Thor's level. His head was turned towards his brother but their eyes didn't meet.

"How come you never told me about this place?" Loki asked while already moving closer to Thor.

Thor's expression turned guilty.

"I don't enjoy thinking about the past too much. I don't come here often myself. But given the time of year, I felt I had to come. It was around this time of the year when we were children that it was just the three of us. I know I should've told you and I'm sorry I didn't," Loki shook his head before Thor could say more. 

"I'm not angry. I know now, don't I?" Loki remarked. 

Thor smiled, "I sometimes used to come here just to get away from it all. The only one who knows the way in is me. But you can come here anytime you like." 

Loki smiled back, "To answer your earlier question. Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that mother is proud of who we have become. I know you feel like you're a burden on people, Thor. But if anything, being able to go through what you have and still make it to the other side has only proved to me how strong you really are. And mother would agree."

Turning back to look at the statue of his mother's face, Loki called on his magic and with a flick of his wrist and a glow from his hand, a small silver wreath weaved into form in front of the plaque, at the top of the wreath bloomed two white roses. Once it was done, the glow faded from Loki's hand. 

Glancing back at his brother, Loki saw Thor smiling at the small wreath beneath the memorial and smiled back before resting his head on Thor's shoulder. 

"Merry Christmas, Thor." 

Loki felt Thor's arm wrap around him in return.

"Merry Christmas, Brother."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Christmas to you all, you're all amazing, see you next year. Also side note, the title of the story was taken from the song 'walking in the air' from the snowman<3
> 
> Bye!


End file.
